Nuclear effects are relevant to the calorimetric reconstruction of neutrino energy

Abstract

As the calorimetric method of neutrino-energy reconstruction is generally considered to be largely insensitive to nuclear effects, its application seems to be an effective way for reducing systematic uncertainties in oscillation experiments. To verify the validity of this opinion, we quantitatively study the sensitivity of the calorimetric energy reconstruction to the effect of final-state interactions in an ideal detector and in a realistic scenario. We find that when particles escaping detection carry away a non-negligible fraction of neutrino energy, the calorimetric reconstruction method becomes sensitive to nuclear effects which, in turn, affects the outcome of the oscillation analysis. These findings suggest that the best strategy for reduction of systematic uncertainties in future neutrino-oscillation studies---such as the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment---is to increase their sensitivity to particles of low energy. The ambitious precision goals appear also to require an extensive development of theoretical models capable of providing an accurate predictions for exclusive cross sections of well-controlled uncertainties.